ESG

Tanami mine outbreak grows to 16

Cluster spreads across four Australian states and territories

This article is 3 years old. Images might not display.

The latest positive case is a worker from the mine, who had been deemed a close contact of the initial case.

The man arrived in Darwin on June 25 and was transferred to Howard Springs Quarantine Facility the next day as a high-risk case.

He initially tested negative, but returned a positive test today.

Patient zero is a worker from Victoria, who is suspected to have been infected with the Delta variant of the virus at the Airport Novotel Langley quarantine hotel in Brisbane before flying to Tanami on a charter flight on June 18.

He was potentially infectious from June 18-25.

Nine hundred people left the mine during the suspected infectious period and are now in isolation.

Cases have also been identified in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia.

So far, no positive tests have been returned from the 252 workers who flew into Western Australia from the site between June 18 and June 25.

Yesterday, an SA man and woman in their 30s and three of their children tested positive for COVID-19. All have been transferred to the dedicated COVID-19 medi-hotel.

Alice Springs went into a 72-hour lockdown yesterday after it was revealed the SA man spent seven hours in the town's airport during his transit home from work.

There are about 700 workers stuck at the mine, confined to dongas.

Workers have taken to social media to complain about the conditions, including a lack of food and internet.

Newmont Australia regional senior vice president Alex Bates told ABC Radio Darwin yesterday that Tuesday "was not our finest day", but the company was dealing with an "unprecedented and unpredictable" situation.

Newmont has been under the direction of the NT Department of Health, which has been on site since Saturday.

More support services have been sent to site given many of the initial case's close contacts worked in catering.

Issues with 4G meant quarantining workers had limited communication, which Bates said was being rectified.

The rooms didn't previously have kettles, so 700 kettles were sent to site, and additional TVs were sent to site for those rooms without them.

Bates said the 14-day quarantine period would end on July 10, but the company would work with authorities to explore early release or an evacuation to Howard Springs.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining News Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining News Intelligence team.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence: Investor Sentiment Report 2025

Exclusive insights into the plans, priorities and preferences of 130+ mining investors and top factors influencing investment decisions in 2025.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence World Risk Report 2024 (feat. MineHutte ratings)

A detailed analysis of mining investment risks across 117 jurisdictions globally, assessed across six risk categories and an industrywide survey.

editions

Mining Company ESG Index: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The Mining Company ESG Index report provides an in-depth evaluation of ESG performance of 61 of the world's largest mining companies. Using a robust framework, it assesses each company across 9 meticulously weighted indicators within 6 essential pillars.

editions

Mining Journal Intelligence Global Leadership Report 2024: Net Zero

Gain insights into decarbonisation trends and strategies from interviews with 20+ top mining executives and experts plus an industrywide survey.